-Cathy Freeman, Australian track and field champion, Gold Medalist, 400 meters in Sydney 2000
When you're moments away from running a big race relaxation is essential. For many athletes the time leading up to the race is anything but calm. The lack of calm leads to scattered thinking. However, without the proper focus the mind is open to stray thoughts. These thoughts are often a potent combination of doubt, negativity, and uncertainty, Sounds like a good recipe for losing. The problem is the ability to relax in a clutch moment is not something that many athletes can do. The ability to consciously relax is something that high-level athletes learn early and perform often. Look at MMA fighting legend Fedor Emelianenko before a fight and you’ll see what I mean about calm before an important contest.
Wait a minute! Didn’t the quote say you have to be ready? You know, “totally ready to go”? Before a big game we all want to be hot, hyped up and ready to rumble, right?! OK, maybe I’m overstating the case a little. I’m seeing a bit of paradox here. Let me explain. My M.E.N.T.A.L. Games approach to coaching athletes employs some ideas I learned in the martial arts. The Japanese martial arts are based in the practice of Zen Buddhism. One of the central tenets of Zen is to be present or in the moment. You can gain the ability to focus and be in the present moment by practicing relaxation. A great way to relax is to focus on what's in front of you. When the mind is focused in this way, the body relaxes easily. With the absence of the muscular tension the body is free to do what it's meant to do. I know, it’s a bit confusing.
Zen is a philosophy that often involves contradictions. Being relaxed and calm on the outside and yet inwardly ready to strike with a razor sharp sword was what the ancient samurai trained to be able to do. Most of today’s athletes may not get their lessons from ancient spiritual practices but modern sciences like sports psychology have studied the best of the best across all sports and disciplines and found that the way of the samurai works. The optimal arousal level for an athlete is somewhere between being completely hyped (active) and absolutely calm (passive). If there is too much arousal it leads to muscular tension and a much slower race. Not enough energy leads to a lack of speed and a snail-like pace. Only by have the right amount of energy and relaxation at the same time can an athlete run their best race. Working with college level runner named Adrian a few years ago I am reminded of how he would produce a very high level of adrenalin to explode out of the starting blocks in a race. He was a very fast starter but he tended to burn himself out and lose energy before the end of the race. It was like running a marathon like it was one mile instead of twenty-six! Explosive power is great but there is a point of diminishing returns. Too much energy or adrenalin leads to poor performances period. The adrenalin dump can result in getting gassed early, false starts and choking. Adrian learned how to find the right balance of energy and relaxation using the applied sports psychology tools that I describe later in this blog.
Think of the body as a machine for a minute and the excitement in your body as steam building up. Machines can overheat and so safety valves and other self-regulating devices are built in when designing them. In between matches “corner men” are able to get a fighter to attend to their breathing and lower their level of arousal in between rounds and that lets some of the “steam” escape. Pressure and stress are all in the mind. If an athletes thinks she is behind on points and in danger of losing the match she can use visual, auditory, kinesthetic or cognitive strategies to restore that optimal level of arousal. The fighter can look into the eyes of the trainer (visual), listen to the soothing cadence of the coaches words, practice deep breathing (kinesthetic or close her eyes and focus on a peaceful imagined scene (cognitive). All of these approaches work to help an athlete release the right amount of “steam” and return to the game with the right amount of athletic arousal.
Control is essential to success in your sport and life. Realize that it’s not an issue of all or nothing. It’s both. Embrace the opposites. The body is like a thermostat and in the course of a match your energy goes up and down. Know that you have tools to restore yourself to the “right” temperature for you to play your best game. You probably don’t need techniques to get hyped up. We’re all familiar finding that competitive fire. The practice of meditation or self-hypnosis can acquaint you with the peace that will balance the fire. Keep balance in mind. I want to leave you with the following metaphor. In the old days of wooden sailing ships sailors relied on the winds to carry them to their destinations. Too much wind meant that they would be dashed upon the rocks and all would be lost. Not enough wind and the ship would not able to leave port and the cargo would spoil. The right (optimal) amount of wind brought them safely home.
Ajamu Ayinde, C.M. Ht., A.C.H., Certified Sports Hypnotist & Creator
M.E.N.T.A.L. Games ™ sports enhancement systemSports success begins in the mind. ™
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